PHOTOS: Arkells, Ernesto Barahona @ Commodore Ballroom - May 09, 2026

Arkells, with Ernesto Barahona
Commodore Ballroom
May 09, 2026

Christine McAvoy Photography

Arkells City Takeover: Vancouver -- May 07 - 09, 2026

To celebrate their brand new album, Between Us, Arkells decided to stage a Western Canadian takeover with nine intimate shows in three cities; Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. They kicked it off with the very first venue they ever played here, The Penthouse (yes, that Penthouse), with another show at the Hollywood Theatre, and then the first venue I saw them play, the Commodore Ballroom (though, I’m sure they didn’t choose it for that reason specifically).

I wanted to make the hat trick of shows, but night two conflicted with Holy Fuck at the Pearl, so had a little Arkells sandwich, staring with:

Night One: The Penthouse

Opening the show for the first night was Ernesto Barahona, the ‘trombone DJ’. He promised to hype up the crowd with some party jams as he DJ’d a set that spanned from soul classics like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to modern hits “Where Is My Husband!”. But the twist lied where every few songs he would bust out the trombone to play along. He also had the crowd singing along with “Psycho Killer” before ending the set with the biggest singalong to “Mr. Brightside”. It was a very fun opening set, especially in a venue like the Penthouse, with my only quibble being I wish he had played along on trombone to more of the songs.

After a brief break, and the owner of the Penthouse coming out to thank everyone for coming, “People Get Ready” by The Impressions blast over the speakers and the lights flashed red, transitioning first into a train crossing noise, and then “Next Summer” as Max Kerman, Mike DeAngelis, Anthony Carone, Nick Dika, and Tim Oxford took the stage.

They ran through the entire new album Between Us front to back, with highlights including the infinitely catchy “What Good?”, “Money” which had Max throwing Arkell Bucks out into the crowd (sadly, no one tried to tuck them back into his shirt), and the heartfelt “Desire’s Got Some Questions”

As ever, Max was an unstoppable force of energy, bounding around the stage, spinning around the pole, and even jumping into the crowd for “Ride”. Mike also made use of the catwalk, strutting up to shred on his guitar, but Anthony was the only other member to come forward, just for a brief moment at the end for a spin. Max also made sure to pause and tell the story of the first time they played in Vancouver, in that very room, not even realising it was a strip club until they were on stage & Max saw the pole.

There was a nice moment when, during “Two Hearts” Max noticed a couple people making a ‘hearts exploding’ hand gesture, and when the song ended he grabbed someone’s phone to get a video, getting the band to replay the chorus so everyone could mime along, as he hoped it would catch on.

Near the end of the album, Ernesto was back out to join on trombone for “What’s On Your Mind” and the album wrapped up with the ethereal “Escape Door” before a quick intermission from the band.

The second half of the night was a set of Arkells classics, starting off with the explosive “Come to Light” and not slowing down. They hit songs from their entire career, from the titular “Michigan Left” up to “Skin” off Laundry Pile, and even a deep cuts they haven’t played in a decade, “Coffee”.

Max introduced “And Them Some” as the most romantic song ever played in a strip club, before telling the story about how many people contact them saying it was the first dance at their wedding, then when he found out some people in the room used it as theirs, he got everyone to make some space on the floor so they could have another dance.

After the incendiary “Whistleblower” and a massive singalong to “Leather Jacket”, Max threw back to the first time they were on that stage, with hands down my favourite Arkells song, “John Lennon”, as the raw emotion pouring off the stage — and reciprocated, from the crowd joining in.

And of course what would an Arkells show be without a cover, as the wrapped up the night with The Boss’ “Dancing in the Dark”, Max once more wading into the crowd to sing with the packed room.

The band thanked everyone as “Pony” by Ginuwine filled the room, and despite the crowd chanting for one more song, it was clear they had left it all on stage already.
(And as someone that wants to normalize no more encores, good for them!)

Night Three: Commodore Ballroom

Ernesto once again opened the show with the same trombone DJ set, before the “People Get Ready” intro and Arkells came out to play through Between Us in full. They hit some of the same notes, Max wading out into the crowd for “Ride” and passing out their Arkell Bucks for “Money”, but also some new twists. A young girl joining them on stage for the latter, and thanks to their socials, the hand gesture for “Two Hearts” had already taken off. And being at the Commodore, they had more room to flex, musically and literally as Max used every inch of the stage. He also made sure to tell the sold out crowd how lucky we are to have the venue, and how much the band loves playing it.

Like with the Penthouse, there was a quick intermission after the album and they were back for a set of classics, starting off with another they hadn’t played in a decade, “Fake Money”. Incredibly, the second half of the night was almost entirely different across all three shows as they delved through their whole history, from “Past Life” off Blink Twice to a special version of Michigan Left’s “On Paper”, which started with the slow and moody ‘In the Dark’ version before bursting with energy.

Other highlights including the explosive “Relentless”, and the killer one-two punch of an old favourite “Oh, The Boss is Coming!” with everyone yelling along, and somehow upping the energy with “Knocking On The Door” as Ernesto rejoined them on trombone.

Their cover for the night was the Talking Heads classic “Life During Wartime”, and after a raucous “You Can Get It”, they took their leave, but the crowd was eager for more, even chanting “we’re not leaving”, which happened the previous night at the Hollywood as well. And so most of the band took back to the stage, except for Max who snuck out the side door and stood on one of the tables for an acoustic beginning to “Leather Jacket”, singing the first verse completely unamplified with the crowd joining in, only for the band to kick back in and Max to run back on stage, ending the night with a bang.

The last few times I’ve seen Arkells have been arena shows, and as much as they deliver in those big stages, there’s nothing like seeing one of Canada’s best live bands play one of Canada’s best venues (and also a strip club). They could have easily booked another big arena show and been done with it, but this city takeover created something special for the fans.

Commodore Setlist
Next Summer
What Good?
Ride
Money
Imagine Barcelona
Desire’s Got Some Questions
Universe Talking
Two Hearts
What’s On Your Mind
Rumour
Escape Door
[intermission]
Fake Money
Past Life
Relentless
Oh, the Boss Is Coming!
Knocking At The Door Ernesto
American Screams
Life During Wartime [Talking Heads cover]
Only For A Moment
On Paper
You Can Get It
(encore)
Leather Jacket

Penthouse Setlist
Next Summer
What Good?
Ride
Money
Imagine Barcelona
Desire’s Got Some Questions
Universe Talking
Two Hearts
What’s On Your Mind
Rumour
Escape Door
[intermission]
Come to Light
Michigan Left
People’s Champ
One Thing I Know
And Then Some
Coffee
Skin
Dirty Blonde
Whistleblower
Leather Jacket
John Lennon
Dancing in the Dark [Bruce Springsteen cover]

PHOTOS: Sam Roberts Band @ Commodore Ballroom - April 16, 2026

Sam Roberts Band
Commodore Ballroom
April 16, 2026

Christine McAvoy Photography

Sam Roberts Band: Chemical City 20th Anniversary Tour @ Commodore Ballroom -- April 16, 2026

Twenty years ago, Sam Roberts released his acclaimed sophomore album Chemical City and to celebrate the anniversary, Sam Roberts Band is playing a very special five city tour across Canada. Coincidentally, it was twenty years ago I first saw them live*, so I was excited that one of the stops on this tour was the Commodore Ballroom.
*A bonkers lineup of Jets Overhead, The Stills, Broken Social Scene, and Sam Roberts at Deer Lake Park!

With no opening act for the night, the stage filled with blue smoke and Sam Roberts Band took the stage, silhouetted by backlights as the iconic intro of “The Gate” filled the room as they launched into Chemical City in its entirety. From the crowd joining in on songs like “Bridge to Nowhere” and “With a Bullet”, to the soft acoustic “Uprising Down Under” and the hard hitting “The Bootleg Saint”, the band blast through with Sam only stopping briefly to talk about their history with Vancouver and recording this album in Australia. I was also happy to hear my favourites off the album, “The Resistance” which I haven’t heard live in some time, and the psychedelic 8+ minute jam “Mind Flood” (which was a little funny to hear so early in the set and not closing it out).

Sam took over the keys as the beautiful piano ballad “A Stone Would Cry Out” closed out the album, and after the band took a quick break they were back not just for an encore, but a whole other set packed with the hits.

Kicking off by getting everyone to dance to “Them Kids”, the sold out room joined in on almost every song, going all the way back to The Inhuman Condition with “Don’t Walk Away Eileen” and up to Lo-Fantasy’s “We’re All In This Together”. After the rollicking “Detroit ‘67” and the crowd loudly wondering “Where Have All the Good People Gone?”, Roberts paused once more to finish telling the story of Chemical City’s recording, including a b-side to the album with “Fall Before You Finish”.

And finally, after nearly two hours the band wrapped up the set with a couple more crowd pleasers, “Hard Road” and the biggest singalong of the night to “Brother Down”, ending with the band jamming as Roberts went up to the front row, hugging and high fiving everyone he could reach.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I always love a show where a band will play their album in full; be it a brand new one for their launch or celebrating an old favourite. And it’s especially fun when they can go on to a second set to remind you just how many bangers they’ve had over their career. I’ve seen Sam Roberts (Band) a handful of times over these last twenty years, and they always put on an incredible show full of energy as one of the best live rock bands in Canada.

setlist
(Chemical City)
The Gate
Bridge to Nowhere
With a Bullet
Mind Flood
Uprising Down Under
Mystified, Heavy
An American Draft Dodger in Thunder Bay
The Bootleg Saint
The Resistance
A Stone Would Cry Out
(The Hits)
Them Kids
Don’t Walk Away Eileen
We’re All in This Together
Detroit ‘67
Where Have All the Good People Gone?
Fall Before You Finish
Hard Road
Brother Down

July Talk: Touch X Tour @ Commodore Ballroom -- March 11, 2026

Ten years ago, Toronto rockers July Talk released their acclaimed sophomore album Touch. And to celebrate the anniversary, they’ve released a deluxe vinyl as well as embarked on the Touch X Tour with not one, but two stops at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

Opening the night was Vancouver’s own Gay Nineties. The band recently returned from a hiatus, as Parker Bossley, Bruce Ledingham, Malcolm Holt, and Pascal Le Vasseur took the stage with a mix of old & new songs. From the incendiary “Hold Your Fire” to new teases with “Tidal Wave”, the band is as sharp as ever, with Bossley hinting at a new album coming soon.
After Parker and Pascal swapped guitar & bass, they slipped in a cover of the 80s classic “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx, which lead into the brand new single, “Internet, Sex & Drugs” before an old favourite “Letterman”, the soaring chorus bringing the set to a huge finish. If the new tunes are any indication, I will be looking forward tot he new album!

It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed and a montage of clips about the word ‘touch’ played over the speakers, with July Talk hitting the stage; singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay Goldstein, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, drummer Danny Miles, and Dani Nash on percussion.

They started off the set by playing Touch in full, immediately launching into the first track “Picturing Love” before Peter welcomed to everyone, including 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and giving a land acknowledgement. Leah then adding they were going to put their money where their collective mouths are with a donation to the Urban Native Youth Association, before going back into the album with “Beck + Call”. From the explosive “Now I Know” to the eerie “Strange Habit”, and my favourite, the steamy “Lola + Joseph”, they burst through the album with an unparalleled energy and Peter + Leah’s contrasting vocals blending together beautifully.

After the simmering slow burn of the title track, they slipped in “Love’s Not Dead”, a b-side from that era (also the name of the bonus album that is included with the new vinyl). Peter then exclaimed “that was the album, now let’s party!” and they immediately launched into a favourite of mine, the frenetic “Summer Dress” with the sold out room singing along. True to his word, the band kept the party going for the second half of the set, delving through their catalogue from “Certain Father” off their latest album Remember Never Before, back to their self-titled debut with “I Am Water”.

They wrapped up the set with the incredible catchy singalong “Paper Girl”, which they said they hadn’t played in a while, and were soon back for a couple more with everyone joining in. First with another one of my favourites, the explosive “Guns + Ammunition”, and one last rager with “The Garden”.

The first time I saw July Talk was a little over ten years ago, on that very stage at the Commodore (opening for Matt Mays in 2013). They immediately hooked me with their raucous music and exciting live show, and if anything, that’s only been amplified over the last decade. Peter and Leah have an incredible stage chemistry, and even visibly pregnant she was stalking around the stage, dancing, and singing with Peter & other bandmates. They’re back at the Commodore tonight (March 12) so hopefully you can make it there.

setlist
Picturing Love
Beck + Call
Now I Know
Johnny + Mary
Strange Habit
Push + Pull
Lola + Joseph
So Sorry
Jesus Said So
Touch
Love’s Not Dead
Summer Dress
Gentleman
My Neck
Certain Father
I Am Water
Paper Girl
(encore)
Guns + Ammunition
The Garden